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Welcome to Tigressland, my own personal little corner of the Internet where I hang out expressing my views about the smaller things in life. No controversy here (I'm saving that for the book lol) just the everyday minutiae that add up to my rather unpredictable, but always fun, life! So pull up a cushion and come chill.....and follow! We bloggers love it when you follow ;-) ~Tigress

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Thursday, 4 June 2015

So what does one do when one witnesses a
stage show, the likes of which (or should that be witch...) one has not seen
before? A show so entertaining, enthralling, awe inspiring and quite
simply.....magical that one would watch it again and again and again? A show
that was irresistibly.... Wicked!?

Well, blog about it of course. Whaddya
think I have this thing for?

It was an epic night I must say: a delicious dinner at
Perth’s Atrium restaurant, a cocktail hither and yon, thoroughly entertaining
theatre, all shared with the delightful company of my newly promoted fiancé and
the Gypsy Niece.

Aaah good times

But it was the theatre that thoroughly stole the night.

From the second Glinda the Good Witch
appears on stage in her mechanical bubble you know you’re in for a treat.
Through imaginative (and oft humorous) script and brilliant singing performances
“Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches
of Oz” tells the tale of Glinda and Elphaba, two, at first very reluctant,
school chums who slowly learn to trust and embrace each other’s quirks and idiosyncrasies
to form a strong, if unlikely, friendship.

Glinda is good; somewhat irritating, judgemental,
self absorbed, hyperactive and shallow, but good nonetheless. Elphaba is also
good...just...well...green.

As the plot unfolds, the audience learns
the chain of events which lead to Elphaba taking up the role of ‘Wicked witch
of the west” showing, of course, that no person is shaped in a vacuum and
frequently things are not always as they seen. And more specifically, just
because you’re green and a bit pissed off, doesn't mean you did what they say
you did.

All the psyche contributors are there: parental inadequacy, cultural misunderstanding, the trials and tribulations of
friendship....not to mention a spot of romantic rivalry to boot. No dramatic
stone is left unturned as those watching are taken on a whirlwind trip through
the ages, leading up to the moment of Elphaba’s apparent demise and the return
of order to society.

It is delightfully well done.

And overall the entire story unfolds
seamlessly alongside the original 1939 Wizard
of Oz narrative. Little nods here and there are cast toward plot points
which almost all viewers will recognize: A house falling here, a tin man created
there...and a lion cub that she really didn't mean to scare the crap out of,
but basically, sometimes, shit just happens.

One also learns that animals once spoke and
it was the government of Oz shutting this phenomenon down. So not only is the audience
challenged to think about the value of diversity over assimilation, but the parallels
drawn between the politics of Oz and our own media/government controlled culture were
deliciously en pointe as well.

I know what some of you may be thinking: Could
I possibly be over-‘adulting’ a delightful children’s tale?

Oh bugger off. If it’s one thing that the
likes of The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy have taught us, it’s that
childlike stories are often the best way to affect cultural change. As many news shows fall further
and further into the abyss of farcical infotainment (and often the ‘info’ part
is debateable), lessons on morality must be inserted, in easily digestible lumps, within other genres.

And it’s not like these guys were
particularly subtle about it. The wizard especially comes out with some
delightful quotes that are particularly thought provoking:

“Where I come from, we
believe all sorts of things that aren't true. We call it history.”

[after Elphaba
discovers he's behind the anti-Animalism] “Where I'm from, the best way to bring people together... is to
give them a really good enemy.”

That last one eh.

Well now.

But the redirecting of one’s moral compass
aside, the show was good, damn good. And you could be forgiven for wanting to
take up any of the performing arts after having seen it. But I doubt you’ll be
able to compete with Suzie Mathers’ (Glinda) trilling and infectious energy or
Jemma Rix’s (Elphaba)...well anything....not only was her voice fantastic but
even her cheekbones (green or otherwise) were enough to make you feel
desperately inadequate...but in the best possible way.It is simply delightful, From fantastic sets to fabulous merchandise....what's not to love here.

A little collage a la Gypsy Niece :)

Do I even need to say that I would
recommend this show? Really? I’ll even take it a step further for you and say, I’ll be extrememly impressed if anything I see from now beats it. Stay tuned though, coz I
think the Kevman is now turning me into a Showaholic....

I shall attempt to show restraint though
(pun completely intended), as we now have a wedding to save for. I must remain calm in the face of tempta........